Barefoot Clinic @ Lazy M Ranch

Last weekend Gord and I attended a barefoot clinic out at the Lazy M Ranch, NW of Sundre. For the past two years I have been studying and practicing barefoot trimming on my own. While the improvements to our horses' feet were significant, I still felt there was more to learn. There are very few certified barefoot practitioners around the Calgary area so I arranged to bring in a clinician from BC to host a clinic. The response was disappointing and the clinic was ultimately cancelled but I wasn't ready to give up my quest to keep learning. That is when I discovered Lane Moore out at the Lazy M Ranch. Lane is not only an extremely talented horseman and barefoot trimmer, he is also a tremendously patient teacher with a terrific sense of humour. His clinic will go down as one of my favourite clinics ever, and I have attended many. He and his wife Margie were gracious hosts for the entire weekend. We stayed at their beautiful lodge along a spring-fed creek, ate fabulous food, shared tons of horse stories and laughter, and discovered a key element I had been missing about barefoot trimming - confidence. For anyone wanting to learn more about barefoot trimming, I highly recommend attending one of Lane's clinics. Click on the title of this blog post to check out their web-site. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Happy Canada Day!
Tovie

Muskat's Epitaph...

It has been a while since the last entry but it was important to write today to talk about Muskat. He passed on today from a sudden and severe bout of colic. It is still hard to believe that he won't be running in with the "Boys" for oatie-oats ever again. Muskat came to live with us in 1999 when I saw a little ad in the Bargain Finder, that read "free" horse. His owner, Gladys, explained that her circumstances had changed and she was looking for a good home for him and that yes, he was free but that I couldn't ever sell him. Gladys had raised him from birth and didn't want to loose track of him but she was very particular about who she was giving him to. She interviewed interested parties and watched how they handled him and how he reacted to them and then she also checked out where he was going to live. It seems like only yesterday when she called to say she had chosen us to have him.

Over the years he has given so much joy to me and more recently, the Horsing Around students. Upon learning of Muskat's death, Sheila, a Horsing Around student, wrote these words to me:

What I learned from Muskat (and you Tovie):

• that touching and caring for another creature reduces fear and brings unexpected closeness
• that it's possible to completely forget yourself when you are learning about how to do something new
• that no matter who (or what) we are, thoughtful attention to our needs is a wonderful thing

We are so sorry to hear about Muskat. Yes - we can't help but agree with you that it would have been dreadful to see him suffer. We are thinking about you.

Muskat was not only beautiful, his manners were impecable and he had the sweetest disposition. Although he wasn't very big, he was fiesty and second in command, after Peppy San, in the pecking order. We used to tease that he had small-man syndrome because he would boss even the biggest of the "Boys". As a testament to his sweet, considerate nature, he even chose a convenient day to say goodbye. I had already booked off work for the day to have the vet come for the annual teeth and vaccinations. When I saw him down this morning, I called the vet who rearranged his schedule to come here early. Once it was apparent that it would be impossible to save him, the decision was made that it was best to put him down rather than have him suffer. I will be forever grateful that he chose today so he didn't suffer very long and I could be with him.

Good-bye sweet little horse,
Love from me and your "Boys"